engine swap small block or big block?

[74dodge]

well i gave up the dream of putting a v8 into my dart til i saw those shumacker kits and now its got me dreaming again lol my dart currently has the slant six in it and i will be buying a beater so gas mileage will having nothing to do with the motor i put in.it will be my first swap but i got a couple buddies that know what there doing that have said they would help and im pretty mechanically inclined just havent had the chance to really do anything like this before(not really any car guys in the family)so is what im wondering is what are the pros and cons for small block and big block ive been looking on craigslist and its about the same for a old 70s 318 or 360 as it is for a old 440 but what about parts generally speaking is it more for big block parts? i dont want to do anything to extreme so internals wouldnt matter i would be leaving whatever i get with stock internals but i mean heads and intake and headers and such is there a big price difference?also will the big block screw up how the car handles with all that extra weight? also does an old 440 get decent enough mileage to take on long cruises?sry if these seem like newbie questions but im still learning lol its always been my dream to have a 440 in my dart just cause its the granny model (74) and no one would expect it lol would be a cool sleeper

 

[G. G. LEVERETTE]

The 318 is probably the best buy for you purposes, plentiful, fits the engine bay, good performance and economy and parts are reasonable and easy to find. A low deck big block is another option but you get into exhaust manifold or header problems and end up with manual steering which is a draw back with most of the weight on the front end. Upgrading the suspension to include torsion bars, brakes, rear springs and frame connectors are minimum. The raised deck big blocks are a PIA in addition to the comments on the low decks there is the brake MS clearance problem, dinging the dood supports, extreme heat in the engine bay and modifying the cooling system. dual exhaust with all applications mentioned. Recommend looking for some \6 related sites and compare what is more cost effective to get what you are looking for.

 

[74dodge]

thanks for the info im starting to lean more towards a 360 can get a little more power out of it compared to the 318 but has none of the space issues of a bigblock

 

[cudamark]

thanks for the info im starting to lean more towards a 360 can get a little more power out of it compared to the 318 but has none of the space issues of a bigblock

That would be my choice. Get a complete donor car if you can. There are lots of parts you'll need in that conversion.

 

[pishta]

off the top, youll need from a 6 to an 8
Motor
Transmission
Driveshaft (maybe)
rear end (if its a 7.25, crap shoot if itll survive long..some have, some haven't)
radiator
motor mounts
exhaust system
Drop link center section (if your is a straight one, year dependent)

Steering will be a little heavier if its a manual-B/RB are heavier still but not impossible to steer manually-B/RB headers are more expensive and fit is less than ideal-318+360 can be stroked to 400+ CID and still fit like a 318. Ever consider turbocharging? Really, its a matter of putting together a system and the fuel economy is suprising. Plenty of room in a leaner for a snail, and "sleeper" cant describe a turbo 6! For the price of the above list, you could do a turbo. IF I had a 6 I would seriously consider this power booster.Oh yeah, 440 and 360's are not gas sippers. Even the new 360's in a truck get about 14..think about that, a buck every 5 minutes to operate, and a turbo is only a turbo when you get on it.

 

[dingo77]

doin a 440 has more cussing, knuckle bleeding and what not involved but hey its a 440 lol

 

[68dodge]

Now to put a 440 in an A-Body is not hard to do. New mounts, cut the Left motor mount some, change master cylinder and a larger radiator. The major cost will be for motor mounts and headers. Its alot easier than you might think.

 

[1MeanA]

The big block engine is a better design IMHO although a SB is just fine too. I put a low deck 383 with Schumacher headers in a Demon. Its not much harder than installing any other motor.

 

[74dodge]

ya thats what i keep pondering cause it doesnt seem like it would be much harder or much more costly the mounts are 160 bucks to swap to big block or small block and its about the same price wise for a parts car i just dont know if the 440 would get good enough mileage to go on long cruises like i want to be able to go on 6 to 8 hour trips without running out of gas or overheating and i thought about going the turbo route for the /6 but i dunno ive always wanted to do a v8 swap.i just think the 440 would be badass hahah all that torque

 

[guzzimike]

I have a 383 in my Dart. This car is a daily driver.

Originally it had a 273.

Manual steering is no problem, not even when manouvering/ parking in tight spaces in parking lots.

Definitelly not an issue when driving on the street/ freeways.

I have .920 torsion bars and an AADCO front sway bar..

Schumacher Tri-Ys, Motor Mounts and Torque-Strap.

-

 

[74dodge]

id love to drop in a 383 but they cost so dam much atleast in my area anyway i can get any running small block or 440 for about half the price of a 383 or id go that direction and just so ya all know i do have power steering but manual brakes awww yaaaaa lol